Carol's Notebook – Page 229

The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

November 30, 2017November 29, 2017 by Carol2 Comments

While I grant you that The Turn of the Screw is not really a Christmas story, it does have the tradition of telling ghost stories on Christmas Eve as its framework, so I'm counting it as part of my seasonal reading. The Turn of the Screw is fascinating and creepy and leaves you not knowing what the heck was going on. Our narrator is reading the story to folks around the fire, so it's not his story. A governess is hired for two children who are under the care of their uncle. The uncle lives in town while the kids live at the country house, where the governess will be in charge. The uncle basically wants to have to deal with them as little as possible. The governess has written her story down, so everything we know and see is from her point of view. Even she admits that she has a vivid imagination and is “rather easily carried away.” So we've got...

2017 Follow the Clues Wrap Up

November 29, 2017November 29, 2017 by Carol2 Comments

The Follow the Clues Mystery Challenge hosted by Bev at My Reader's Block was fun, if difficult. I actually failed at the basic premise of the challenge, to have one mystery lead you to the next. I found clues that connected the stories, but only afterward. Anyway, here's my misdemeanor case, even though it should probably be called a mistrial. A significant scene in Two Days Gone at a lighthouse and a lighthouse is featured on the cover of Game of Mirrors. Game of Mirrors takes place in Italy as does Earthly Remains. Boats and water feature prominently in Earthly Remains as they do in Dead Tide. There are pirates in Dead Tide and in The Freedom Broker. The siblings in The Freedom Broker are on opposite sides as they are to an extent in Persons Unknown. The victim in Persons Unknown was stabbed as was the victim in Murder on the Orient Express. The victim in Murder on the Orient Express died in his bed, as did the victim in Death at Breakfast....

My Favorite . . Museum

November 29, 2017 by Carol8 Comments

My Favorite.. is a weekly meme hosted by Maureen’s Books. In this meme we share every week something we love with each other. Because let’s face it.. The world can be a dark place and it’s time to share something positive. For more info: My Favorite Meme. I love museums, and have been to a lot of amazing ones, but it's easy for me to pick a favorite: the Carnegie Museum of Natural History and the Carnegie Museum of Art. Yes, technically that's two, but they are in the same building and your admission fee covers both. I think part of what makes it a favorite is that it's close enough to visit fairly often. Sometimes we'll wander longer on the history side and sometimes longer on the art side, but it's always a great place to spend a day. I especially like to go up when a special exhibit catches my eye. One Pittsburgh museum that I haven't been to yet...

I’m Scheming of a White Christmas by Kate O’Keeffe

November 28, 2017 by Carol4 Comments

Do you ever get to the end of a story or book and think wow, I'm glad that was a freebie? That's how I felt about I'm Scheming of a White Christmas. The blurb made it sound like a cute holiday romance, and while there aren't many reviews on Goodreads, they're positive. My two stars will drag the average down a little. Tilly had potential as a character. She's finally living and working in New York City. She has a job that fits her well and working in a department store is a perfect set up for a Christmas story. When the guy she had a crush in high school shows up, she gets tongue-tied, nervous, the whole nine yards. Happily, he invites her to a party in spite of her awkwardness. The catch is that even though now she's beautiful, in high school she was a bit of a nerd and he was incredibly mean to her. She and her roommate...

Readers’ Workouts – 11/28

November 28, 2017 by Carol6 Comments

I had a cold for most of the week. Combine that with Thanksgiving and my steps were just way off. This week's activities: Tuesday - Elliptical Lots of sleeping Goals for December: Gym - 4 times Pilates - 12 times I'm also going to try the #Starcember challenge, even though I'm not a big fan of jumping jacks. This week's dinners: Tuesday - ? Wednesday - Pizza Thursday - Thanksgiving Friday - Spaghetti Saturday - Leftovers Sunday - Bread and gravy Monday - Shrimp fried rice Meal ideas for next week: Kielbasa and macaroni and cheese Hawaiian chicken Chili Pork tacos Year Fitness Goals: So, I've failed at these, but we'll see by how much at the end of the year. And think what my goals should be for next year. - Lose weight. Goal - Lose 26 lbs. (Currently at -15.6) - Run 2 5ks, 1 10K and 1 half. Completed - 1 10K; 1 5K (The half I was planning on doing got cancelled.) - Hit my weekly step goal (56,000 steps) for 48 weeks. Weeks completed: 30 How was your week? Readers’ Workouts is...

Heart Note by Cassandra O’Leary

November 27, 2017November 24, 2017 by Carol3 Comments

I love a sweet holiday romance and "Heart Note" fits the bill. Lily is adorable and Christos is sexy as all get out. Sparks start flying from the minute they meet, and I honestly liked them both. It was light-hearted and fun. Their romance is believable, and their are a couple of steamy-ish parts, but nothing to make you blush. They are just a good couple. The other ladies who work at the perfume counter are enjoyable too. One's very Parisian and the other is a bit of a gossip, but I can see why they are all friends. The mystery aspect of the plot was a bit lacking, but that's not really the focus anyway. The bad guy gets caught, Christos has to save Lily from a moderate amount of trouble, but it definitely doesn't overshadow the romance. The story takes place at Christmas in Australia, which makes it a bit different for me. It's summer there this time of year, so...